L'atelier Coulom - Creation of Straw Brooms

The opportunistic industry, emerging in the heart of the 19th century, was made possible by the fertile plains of the Garonne where "lou mil" or "milhas" (sorghum) grows.
It was a revolution that transformed a rough sorghum straw utensil tied with a willow twig into an aesthetic and practical tool with a solid wooden handle, heart straw and cover straw, wire to bind it, a flattened conical shape, all held together by a pretty colored cord.

This is a 100% Occitan broom. Before World War I, the canton had more than 20 workshops and around 400 workers!

However, in the early 1980s, a young married couple had to seek a creative and authentic activity to revive the industry, which had fallen into decline due to the advent of the vacuum cleaner and pressure from Eastern European countries.

Still passionate, and now alone, Jean Marc Coulom continues this tradition that had fallen into disuse. A relic of an activity that made Grisolles the World Capital of the Broom, he is the last bearer of this experience. Eager to share it, he lives his passion as an art: the art of beautifying an interior (or exterior), designing an everyday item with his own hands, and occasionally meeting individuals eager to exchange ideas.

It’s an art: Making a broom requires patience and high-quality raw materials, including beautiful light green sorghum straw, which now comes from Eastern European countries. The straws are threshed, then sulfur-treated to disinfect them and give them a lovely yellow color. The handle is made from pine from the Landes, produced near Casteljaloux.

Around it, he fixes the body of the broom: the "paillon," made from Camargue reeds, the heart of the broom. He wraps it with coarser straw and finishes with finer, more aesthetic straw. Then, five or six hemp thread stitches hold everything together. Once everything is evened out, a bit of red paint is applied to the top and bottom of the handle: the emblem of the house. And there you have it, your broom is ready!

Show less